Medical Assistant Education Needed Lakeville CT - Find Medical Assistant Programs Near You

How to Pick a Medical Assistant Program near Lakeville Connecticut

Lakeville CT medical assistant checking pulse Now that you have made a decision to enter the rewarding profession of health care and enroll in a medical assistant school near Lakeville CT, it’s time to choose a school that will furnish the proper training. But just how do you go about comparing and evaluating colleges so that you subsequently enroll in the right one? A number of future students begin by evaluating the medical assistant schools that are closest to their homes and then lean toward those that have the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are very important, such things as accreditation, internship programs and job assistance are critical factors also. You may choose to research several online medical assistant programs as an alternative as well (more about that later). The bottom line is that prior to selecting a program you need to finish your due diligence and compare all pertinent qualifications of the schools you are evaluating. And to help you with that process, we have included a few questions that you should ask all of the colleges on your “maybe” list. But before we start that review, let’s briefly talk about the role of a medical assistant and the kind of training and credentials that are offered.

The Responsibilities of Medical Assistants

medical assistant with Lakeville CT nursing home patient The responsibilities of a medical assistant can be diverse as well as demanding. Primarily their job is to make sure that the Lakeville CT clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they work operate efficiently. Based on the type or size of facility, they can be more of a clinical assistant, an administrative assistant, or in smaller practices both. They are tasked with providing direct support to the nurses, doctors and other health professionals but can also be found performing duties in an office or at the front desk. A few of the possible responsibilities of a medical assistant include:

Completing insurance forms and filing claims
Scheduling and confirming appointments
Taking vital signs and weighing patients
Taking blood and other fluid and tissue samples
Preparing rooms and instruments for physicians
Supplying basic support during exams and procedures

Although medical assistants can perform almost any task they are qualified to under Connecticut law, some opt to specialize in a specific area and attain certification. Two of the options offered are for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) and the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

Medical Assistant Training Programs

In contrast to most other medical practitioners, medical assistants are not mandated to become licensed, certified, or to have a college degree. However, a number of Lakeville CT health care employers would rather hire graduates of an accredited medical assistant training program (more on accreditation later ) that have earned certification. There are essentially two choices available for a formal education. The first and shortest way to becoming a medical assistant is to acquire a diploma or a certificate. These programs usually take about 1 year to complete, some as little as 6 to 9 months. They are designed to teach the basics of medical assisting and ready graduates for entry level positions. The second option is to attain an Associate Degree, which are typically 2 year programs provided at junior and community colleges together with trade and vocational schools. They are more comprehensive in design than the diploma or certificate programs, and include liberal arts courses in addition to the medical assistant training. They often have a practical element requiring an internship with a local healthcare practice. Associate Degrees are often a pre-requisite for and credits can be applied to a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Assistant Studies or a related field.

Medical Assistant Online Classes

woman attending medical assistant school online in Lakeville CT There are a number of accredited medical assistant programs available online too. They are a good choice for students who may not have time to attend classes on campus but could work them in if attended at home. This is a particularly good choice for students who continue to work full-time while pursuing their degree or certificate. As an additional benefit, a number of online programs have cheaper tuitions than the more conventional on campus alternatives. Ancillary expenses such as for textbooks, commuting and school supplies may be lessened as well. But keep in mind that any requirements for clinical training or internships must still be fulfilled, but they can often be performed in Lakeville CT area healthcare facilities. If you can learn without the rigid structure of participating in supervised classes on-campus, then this method of receiving your education may be the right choice for you. With the online classes and the practical training, everything needed to achieve proficiency to perform as a medical assistant is provided.

Certification Programs for Medical Assistants

As earlier stated, certification is not a legal requirement, but is an excellent idea for those who want to advance their careers. It will not only help in securing a position after graduation, but it can also enhance initial salary negotiations. Many potential Lakeville CT medical employers simply will not hire a medical assistant that has not attained accredited formal training or certification. The most popular and perhaps the most respected certification is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). To qualify to sit for the CMA exam, an applicant must be a graduate or will be graduating within 30 days from an accredited medical assistant program. Other certifications are offered as well, such as the CMAA and the CCMA that we discussed earlier which are provided by the NHA.

Concerns to Ask Medical Assistant Programs

Questions to ask Lakeville CT medical assistant programs Before you can start evaluating your medical assistant school options, you need to choose which type of credential you want to attain, and if you want to attend classes on-campus or online from home. Once those choices have been made, you can begin the process of researching medical assistant schools. As we covered at the beginning of this article, a number of prospective students restrict their searches to the schools that are closest to Lakeville CT with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant qualifiers, they are by no means the only ones. There are a number of additional considerations that you should look at when assessing programs. To help you with that task, below are some questions that you need to ask about each of the schools you are considering before making your final selection.

Is the Medical Assistant College Accredited? There are many good reasons to confirm that the college you enroll in is accredited. First, accreditation helps guarantee that the instruction you receive will be both extensive and of the highest quality. Next, if you intend to become certified, you must complete an accredited program. Two of the acknowledged organizations for accreditation are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). If your program is not accredited by either of these organizations, you will not be qualified to take the CMA exam. Also, if you plan on applying for a student loan or financial assistance, they are normally not available for non-accredited programs. And finally, as mentioned previously, a number of prospective Lakeville CT employers will not employ a medical assistant who has not graduated from an accredited college.

What is the Program’s Passing Rate? Most of the accredited medical assistant schools design their programs to ready students to pass one or more certification exams. To start with, you must learn which of the certifications the schools you are looking at are preparing their students to take. If you are interested in taking the CMA for instance, then obviously you will need to select a program focused on that certification. Second, find out what the school’s passage rate is for the certification and contrast it to the national average. This is one of the methods to help evaluate the quality of a college’s program. Of course schools with lower rates are those that you will want to avoid.

Which Credentials are Offered? As we covered earlier, there are basically two paths to getting medical assistant training. You can choose a certificate or diploma program and get entry level training in the shortest amount of time, from as little as 6 months, although the average is closer to one year. Or you can elect to obtain an Associate Degree and receive a broader education that will take about 2 years to complete in a junior college or vocational school. Whichever program you choose to enroll in, make certain that the schools you are looking at provide the type of program you are interested in.

Are Internships Offered? A large number of medical assistant schools sponsor internship programs with Lakeville CT area healthcare providers. They are an excellent means to receive hands-on clinical experience and training. They can also assist students establish relationships within the Lakeville healthcare community. And as an additional benefit, they are an asset on resumes and for job interviews as well.

Is Job Placement Help Offered? Finding that very first job can be a difficult task for medical assistant school graduates unless they receive a little assistance from a job placement program. Confirm that the schools you are researching provide job placement assistance in the Lakeville CT area and find out what their placement rate is. If a program has a higher job placement rate for its graduates, it indicates that it has a good reputation within the healthcare community. It also indicates that it has a large network of contacts to help place students in jobs.

How Big are the Classrooms? Class size may be an indication of how much personal instruction you will get throughout your training. Small classes and classes with a higher teacher to student ratio are more prone to provide greater access to instructors and face to face interaction. If possible, try to sit in on a few classes before enrolling in a college to see what the teaching environment is like and just how much attention the students receive.

Is Class Scheduling Accessible? If you plan on attending a medical assistant college while you continue working full-time, it’s imperative that the school you choose offers classes that accommodate your schedule. If you need to go to classes at night or on weekends near Lakeville CT, make sure that those times are offered. You may be able to fit your classes in easier with an online college, but you will also need to schedule any internships or clinical training that may be required. Additionally, find out what the protocol is for making up classes that you might have to miss because of work, illness or family issues.

Enrolling in a Medical Assistant Program near Lakeville Connecticut?

If you are considering attending a medical assistant school in the Lakeville CT area, following is some background information that may be both interesting and useful regarding your future campus location.

Lakeville, Connecticut

Lakeville is a village in Litchfield County, Connecticut, bordering Dutchess County, New York. It is part of the Town of Salisbury but it has its own zip code (06039). It is southwest of Salisbury Village on U.S. Route 44. The Hotchkiss and Indian Mountain Schools are located in Lakeville.[citation needed]

Until 1846, Lakeville was called "Furnace Village", due to the location there of one of the early blast furnaces of the historic Salisbury iron industry (one of which was established in the 1760s by future Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen.[citation needed]Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, inventor of the Hotchkiss gun was born in nearby Watertown.[citation needed] A boarding school in his name, the Hotchkiss School, was founded by his widow Maria Bissell Hotchkiss in Lakeville in 1891.[1] It later became coeducational.[2] Lakeville is also the home of Indian Mountain School which is a boarding school for students Pre-K through 9th. It was founded in 1922.[citation needed]

It was also the original home to what would eventually relocate and become the Mansfield Training School, an institution for mentally retarded residents of Connecticut from 1860 to 1993.[citation needed]

Pick the Best Medical Assistant Program Lakeville CT

Lakeville CT medical assistant student It’s essential to begin your new career on the right foot by selecting a medical assistant school that will furnish the right training. Regardless if you’re planning to begin a career in health care starting out as a medical assistant or to pursue medical assistance as your life long career, you need to acquire the appropriate information on available programs before making your decision. There are such a large number of colleges providing training these days that you can make a decision based upon your personal preferences and individual circumstances. And as we have discussed in this article, make certain that the program you choose is accredited by an acknowledged agency, for example the CAAHEP. This is particularly important if you anticipate taking the CMA certification exam. You came to this site initially because you had an interest in Medical Assistant Education Needed. But regardless of the kind of credential that you intend to earn or if you have decided to attend either an on-campus or online school, make sure to ask the questions we have supplied so you can evaluate programs and make an informed decision. And by picking the right program you can ultimately begin a fulfilling career as a medical assistant in Lakeville CT.